Acuity
access denied
Posted by Rick (Toronto, Canada) on 3 July 2012 in Documentary & Street and Portfolio.
Say what? You was craving a slice of Mamma's Pizza? Your belly was grumbling and you simply had to have a wedge of that doughy goodness with the toppings of your choice? You didn't realize that the G20 had taken over downtown, and that your freedom of movement had been an illusion, or at least a right with strings attached? No no, boyo : no pizza from Mamma's today. Find another place and do not provoke these amped up law enforcers...
@Gérard Beullac: Nice words and I thank you. No worries about my belly ; I made the whole story up as an illustration embellishment!
@Doug: Seems like the many street vendors in town missed a golden opportunity. Thanks, Doug.
@Phil: A billion dollars to host a G20 downtown, with approximately 860 million of that spent on security... very ridiculous. Thanks for looking, Phil.
@Nina: I was looking at those plastic "handcuffs" that each officer had. They were certainly expecting to arrest a lot of people. Thanks for the nice feedback, Nina.
@Thea: My one and hopefully only time to witness the place where I live turned into an occupied zone. Thank you, Thea.
@Ronnie 2¢: That was part of the intent, Ronnie. To harden the already hard truth of these types of situations. Cheers !
@Williams: My timing for these shots feels a bit subversive, eh? (nod to alleged Canuck speak) These were pre-loaded images from months ago, so it seems funny on the timing end now. Great to see you back, Paul!
@klausZ: I wanted something brittle, dirty, gritty, a bit like newsprint... the square is from a bit of cropping that was needed. Thanks for having a look, mister k.
@Curly: Applause for your summation, Curly. Cast a vote, cast a brick, eventually the people are felt and heard... too bad it has to come to that, thanks to these deeply flawed systems that have been put into place.
@Jason Politte: Intimidation is definitely a part of their riot and crowd control tactic. I watched how they tap their batons in unison against the shields, creating a sinister rhythm that says "behave or be beaten"... some of their stances were very alpha male aggressive. The whole of it was fascinating/disgusting in equal measure.
@grouser: I'm at a 41mm distance, and yes approached to within a few feet before leaving. Some people pushed the limit, getting right up in their faces, which was risky because the provincial government had imposed a distance rule that would allow officers to arrest anyone coming within 15 feet if they wished. This was taken on the afternoon of the first violent day, when police cars were destroyed as well as many windows smashed downtown... the next day (I chose to stay home entirely) was uglier. Police were grim and determined, even if it meant the violation of many civil rights.
@Stephen: Special order : "leave the bones in!" ;-)
@Anthony Morgan Lambert: Thanks ! And I didn't head my head cracked over it.
@Martine: Je vous remercie de votre générosité :-)
@Tinx: Thanks !
@Judy aka L@dybug: I second that pooey !
@Slackwater - Don: A guaranteed mismatch, too ! Thanks for having a look, Don.
@Mhelene: A wall of NO ! :)
@Nicou: Je vous remercie de vos visites et commentaires, Nicou.
@Denny Jump Photo: Great commentary, Denny. With my dad as an ex-cop and my uncle also, I always see it from both sides of the "divide" that is a we-them mechanism by which the rank and file cope with a demanding and always under appreciated job. These officers were following orders from the Prime Minister on down, the decision to piss away a billion dollars by hosting a G20 inside a dense city centre being HIS... I heard some rumors that when some police cars were stomped and torched, the police didn't intervene as a sort of "silent protest", because they themselves didn't approve of the G20 being held downtown. Interesting times, to say the least!
@Denny Jump Photo: Note to Denny : ha ha ha, don't be so hard on your good self, sir.
@Irene: Thanks, Irene.
@Florence: Sometimes we like a certain photo that we take, and then we process it and like it more, and share it with our peers because it is so great to share images from all around the world... and then someone we respect and admire posts a comment like yours, and life is so good all over again, and again, and again. :-) In others words, thank you so much for the wonderful reaction, Florence. You rock.
@omid: Thanks, omid.
@Baldwin VW: Thank you very much.
@Ralph Jones: Much appreciated, Ralph :)
@Steven: It's not bad, but doesn't rock out loud like Chicago style 'za !
@Joyce: The heights of a surrealist job, donning all this gear and standing amidst thousands of angry citizens, feeling that "us versus them" wall so keenly. I respect the police officers and know they were as human as I am, doing a very difficult job and following stupid orders that placed the G20 in the heart of a downtown core not suited to it.